9.00 am at the bakery and the starters gun fired ! Although that may have just been a bang coming from the shed of Master 6. As long as it wasn't one of my tubes, who cares, off we go. And for all the avid fans of the DFBTR report, no doubt you are all wondering who showed for the ride And as usual, I'm sure you guessed correctly... Just me and Mr reliable... Andrew T. So the usual rule applies, that is, if there is just the two of us there are no rules, no time constraints just point the bikes in one direction and see where we end up.

So today's route saw us head straight out to the highway and into Sorell. That stretch between the Dodges turnoff and Sorell is my least favourite section of road... the vehicles seem to roar past harder than anywhere else we ride. Once that's done though, it is familiar territory and a multitude of options with Richmond at the centre. We breezed through Sorell and took the Brinktop option, and the pace was slow. We arrived at Richmond bakery with an average speed of 25 kmh. Wow, a rarity indeed, this had all the hallmarks of a bona-fide recovery ride

So we pulled into the bakery to see who might be about, just one cyclist who was preoccupied with devouring a selection of pastries. We hung about for a few minutes to replenish a water bidon, take a slash and get back out there. Andrew suggested we start the return journey but I was keen on a detour to get a few more Ks happening. We decided on Middle Tea Tree and Water Tower - Fingerpost- Sorell. At some stage the pace seemed to pick up and without realising, our recovery to date seemed more like a warm up for the real part of the ride. A couple of harder efforts, nothing too serious, and we found ourselves putting in an effort up Fingerpost where Andrew recorded a PR on one of the climbs. Down to the highway and a steady pace and a segment push up the hill into Sorell.

We cruised through Sorell and up the climb after the bridge... that is always something to look forward too coming to the end of any ride... NOT. Once we hit the turnoff to Lewisham there was a bit of a tailwind and I had a crack at the final climb of the day, my turn for a PR. Well, the penultimate climb for me as I attacked another on the way to my house to pick up my recovery drink.

Back to the bakey and the recovery ride had somehow morphed into a decent training outing. 90 kms on the clock, a thousand metres climbed and the avg speed had crept up to 27kmh. Not particularly fast but definitely enough effort to leave us both feeling like we had worked hard. Much harder than the ride at Richmond yesterday The coffee was great !!!

Warm weather at Dodges Ferry today and with both Andrew and I feeling a little fatigued after the usual Richmond smash fest we actually set off with recovery in mind. So we took it easy... really easy. Even the distance was minimal, 45 kms, one of the shortest DFBTR rides ever. After riding a few kilometers at recovery pace... I felt recovered So naturally since I was recovered I figured that this new found freshness would be wasted on any further slow riding and therefore proceeded to smash myself on a few sharp hill climbs. I had been eyeing these segments off since before my year off the bike and had been waiting for the right day... TODAY was the day. Mission accomplished.So post ride saw Master Six join us for coffee at the bakery where he informed us that he is riding 150 kms per week currently Who knows, is there a comeback looming We all hope so

Long story. Our friend Anita, an avid cyclist, who recently rode 1680 km and raised over $1000 for Fighting Kids Cancer, in October, has had an accident involving some signage stand left behind by road workers. Damage includes destruction of her left hand brake lever/gear shifter. It is Shimano Sora/Tiagra for double chainrings.

She has had a new bike on order since late October, however it looks like being New Year before it is delivered. Another problem is that her bike shop is flat stick with Christmas looming and cant even look at her damage until after Christmas. Anita has brought her bike to me, and I can repair the buckled wheel, straighten the saddle frame, and get her back on the road if I can find a left side shifter.

DFBTR is back & on the road ! While other rides around Hobart set off in the frosty early hours, the Dodges Ferry ride didn't commence until the more agreeable time of 1.00 pm. By then, the sun was shining brightly. The weather was perfect, and as a bonus there was no wind. And if you are from around here you would appreciate that as it has been blowing since the begining of Spring 2015... 9 months !!!

Two cyclists took to the bitumen today, Andrew T and myself. A good effort so close to the end of the Giro... the fatigue from those late nights watching Nibali et al. on those massive climbs can be very taxing indeed So in order to pay proper homage, we hit a few hills around here... not quite the same, but neither is the sponsorship

So Carlton River, Sugarloaf & Dodges Hill were the choice of climbs today. A nice hitout. PRs all round and a KOM... hey... another good day on the road. And after spending all of May & logging 2,000 kms on Zwift, it was nice to get out in the fresh air.

Having not ridden with Andrew for a month I was impressed to see how strong he has become... a big improvement. Well done

Well after spending the winter so far on my trainer in the Zwift World, a change from the snow and rain that has been in ample supply for some weeks was all that was required to get the Dodges Ferry Bakery peloton out on the road What had not abated however, was the wind. It was blowing a gale, which is so often the case down here in Southern Tassie.

So obviously the wind plays a big factor in the choice of course, and when a Westerly is blowing, the options close to home are limited... however... the best choice for circumstance such as these just happens to be one of the nicest rides going. Dodges to Dunalley via Sugarloaf Hill and back through Carlton. Andrew and I, the mainstays of the DFBR were the only riders present and that's OK. Having ridden together quite a bit over the last few years,we know the routes and what to expect and today was no exception. We took advantage of the strong wind and set PR's on the main segments, with me getting a few KOMs and Andrew some seconds... next time he'll have to ride solo We set a cracking pace from the Hwy at the Sugarloaf climb Arthur Hwy junction to Dunalley. 37 kmh avg speed for the 19kms. The ride from Dunalley back to Dodges was a bit of a grind though having turned into the wind that had been at our backs Having had a strong start to the year, with lots of kms in the bank, Andrew has improved immensely, which was reflected in his performance today. For me, getting out on the road was great, though I am definitely a little fatigued... I guess 5,200 kms of hi intensity riding on the trainer in 13 weeks is gonna do that every time Coffee in the sunshine at the bakery was great. We spent about an hour relaxing, discussing the TDF, Gian bikes and all the usual stuff. Andrew even presented me with a special CCCP cycling jersey... guess that makes me a comrade.

So the DFBTR has been the source of much enjoyment over many rides. The various routes we have to choose from are just stunning, with rides in the hills, along the river, by the beach. Breathtaking scenery. By comparison, bunch rides in the various mainland cities can't come close. Though I'm sure there are exceptions to that.The main issue confronting this ride though is the start point is a long way from anywhere... if you don't live nearby. 40 kms out of Hobart is a bit far. That being the case, it has always been low on numbers, I think the record attendance was 6. But even that was not a big deal. Often it was just Andrew and el Presedente... that was enough to have a great ride which we always did

Lately though, it seems it is just me.... and the wind. Super windy here at the moment, and I always enjoy getting out in that and trying to break some of my PR's Yesterday was crazy windy... dangerous. Even more so than a few days earlier when I went out in it. It would have been 60 kmh plus I reckon. Anyhow, I had my kit on and opened the door to head out and it stopped in an instant... Could not believe how it went from cyclonic to nothing just like that. I decided to jump on Zwift but waited a while in case it picked up again, which it did, but at about half the intensity. So I went out for an hour and had a bit of fun then came back and jumped on Zwift for a another ride.

Anyhow, hopefully as we move into the warm weather,there may be an interest in riding out here again.

With any luck I'll know when I see the activity on Strava. Thanks for the rides.

The riding on Thursday was brief, but enjoyable. The Bakery coffee was even better. Much discussion took place, and wisdom shared. It is hoped that Andrew T might appear with his restored bicycle shortly.

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